Social Studies Organizations

The resources provided on this website are intended to provide a quick access list for educators to use in a way that supports their instructional planning. Provided resources should be previewed and used with teacher discretion. Because this page contains resources outside of the CDE website, CDE cannot control changes in outside content and listing these resources does not indicate an endorsement by the Colorado Department of Education.

Center for Education, Law & Democracy - The Center for Education in Law and Democracy (CELD) has recently transitioned its programs and resources to The Civic Canopy. The Civic Canopy is working to merge this work into a broader, statewide civic health network. Programs supported by the work of CELD include: We the People student showcases for high school students; Project Citizen showcases for all grades, and Lawyers in the Classroom.

Colorado Jump$tart Coalition The Colorado Jump$tart Coalition is a nonprofit organization with more than 30 organizations and individuals representing business, nonprofits, government and education throughout the state of Colorado. The organization offers professional development opportunities in financial literacy for Colorado educators.

Colorado Council for Economic Education - The Colorado Council for Economic Education (CCEE) works to promote and improve economic and personal financial literacy for K-12 students in all of Colorado’s public, private and parochial schools. The most cost-effective way for CCEE to reach the largest possible number of students is to provide superior professional development programs and curriculum resources to their teachers.

Colorado Council for the Social Studies - The Colorado Council for the Social Studies is a state affiliate of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). NCSS and CCSS work to promote social studies education. CCSS provides collegial opportunities for Colorado social studies educators, including a quarterly newsletter. Additionally, CCSS holds an annual conference every spring. The conference provides an excellent opportunity for networking, learning about new resources and instructional strategies, and for having collegial conversations.

Colorado Geographic Alliance - The Colorado Geographic Alliance provides resources and professional development for elementary and secondary school teachers, ensuring the public understands the rationale behind comprehensive geography education throughout the State of Colorado.

Facing History and Ourselves - Facing History and Ourselves is an international educational and professional development organization whose mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and anti-Semitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. Facing History helps students make the essential connection between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives.

History Colorado - History Colorado partners with universities, libraries, and other leading educational institutions to provide professional development opportunities for history and social studies educators.

History Day in Colorado - The National History Day program in Colorado engages students in the study of history throughout the school year. Students conduct research of primary and secondary resources to prepare presentations based on an annual theme. The annual theme is broad enough in scope to encourage investigation of topics ranging from local and state history to national and world history. NHDC provides professional development opportunities for teachers interested in implementing NHDC in their school.

Program for Teaching East Asia – (TEA) is located at the Center for Asian Studies conducts national, regional, and state projects designed to enhance and expand teaching and learning about East Asia at the elementary and secondary school levels. Specific projects focus on curriculum development, professional development for teachers, and curriculum consultation and reform related to Asia in K-12 education.

Teaching with Primary Sources - Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress, the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program at MSU Denver promotes the use of primary sources in instruction by offering FREE professional development opportunities for K-12 educators across the state. TPS-Colorado promotes the use of primary sources in instruction across the state and at all grade levels. There are a variety of professional development delivery options (face-to-face, online, and blended) available to accommodate teachers’ specific educational needs and schedules.

World Affairs Challenge - The World Affairs Challenge (WAC) is dedicated to developing tomorrow's global leaders. With mentoring, education, and project-based competition, WAC facilitates middle-school and high-school passion and learning about world affairs. WAC engages youth to solve some of the world's most pressing problems. WAC students move from awareness to action while learning to think critically, collaborate, communicate, and grow human capacity.